Small scale biochar - Details we can’t ignore -

Centre for AlternativeTechnology

8 September 2009

Deepak RughaniBiofuelwatch

Losses on combustionIEA 12-35%http://terrapreta.bioenergylists.org

Labile Fractionhttp://images.google.co.uk

Microbial breakdown of SOChttp://images.google.co.uk/

Erosion losses (water & wind)on conventionally tilled fieldhttp://images.google.co.uk

.

Loss to carbon poolwww.sparetheair.org

Up to 30% losses

Antagony or Synergy?Fertiliser input

Indirect Impacts

Tillage

Combustion GHG emissions

• IEA 12% to 35% conversion rate

• Wood up to 50% carbon

1 tonne biochar requires approx 8 tonnes dry wood

• UK study 10 – 20 tonnes charcoal / Ha = 80 – 160 tonnes dry wood

Corn stover 2.83t/Ha : Sugar Cane 20t/Ha wet

• Biochar stoves promoted as only alternative to open fire cooking

• Efficient biomass stoves?

• Solar stoves?

Slide 3

Transportation, Loading, Application

• Canadian study – 30%

• Black carbon = 25% of radiative forcing by holding heat + loss of albedo (500-680 x CO2)

• Surface spreading promoted as non-till

Slide 3

CO2 linked to tillage

Integration into soils:

• Japan – surface soil

• Deep tillage

• CO2 emissions linked to soil disturbance

• (Deep tillage damages soil structure)

• Tillage also speeds up the breakdown of biochar (confirmed CSIRO)

• Slide 3

SOC losses due to enhanced microbial activity.

• Charcoal addition linked to increased microbial breakdown of SOC

(Boreal study)

• Some microbial breakdown of charcoal also exists

Slide 3

Labile Fraction

• Johannes Lehmann et al: Labile carbon fraction = 1 to 20% • Evidence it could be >20%

• Masiello looked at ‘global black carbon budget’• Boreal forest fires study• Nguyen et al: West Kenyan study• Lorenz et al: Unpublished study in Costa Rica

• Some evidence that nitrogen addition (either organic or synthetic) reduces stability of charcoal

• Glazer 50-100 yrs

Slide 3

Soil erosion

• Loss of agricultural residue exposes soils to more severe dehydration, water and wind erosion

- SOC losses

- Black carbon losses

• David Pimentel and Rattan Lal: Crop residue removal - 100 fold increase in erosion

Slide 3

Incorporated biochar may not be ‘additional’

• IPCC - crop residue removal > reduction of SOC

• Derived from previous reductions

in carbon stocks/pool

• Deprived of organic carbon necessary for

metabolism by soil organisms, soils would

deplete very quickly.

• With CC, respiration of organic matter will increase

so more harvest residue required

Slide 3

Synthetic fertiliser requirement

• Biochar does not contain nutrients except fresh biochar in ash

• Even if biochar shown to make uptake of nutrients from organic and synthetic fertilisers more efficient…

• In fact need for synthetic fertilisers will now be much greater – the reverse effect!

• 10 to 100Kg N fertiliser required / Ha

and reduces stability of biochar (CSIRO)

• Ammonium bicarbonate, N2O + reinforces fossil fuel industry

Slide 3

Indirect Impacts- small farmers carrying the cost -

Accelerated land use change• 25-30% more residue removal > soil erosion• Impoverishment of local hydrological cycle • Extended grazing requirement

Dependence on synthetic fertilisers

Health• PAHs• Charcoal dust / particulates: Pneomococoniosis

Subsidies / Financial Viability• CDMs and ETS exclude small farmers• Patents favour industry

No real choice• Biomass stoves or solar cookers

Slide 3

Biochar production in Drylands

Reclaiming dryland or accelerating desertification?

Reduced soil organiccarbon even with short term biochar benefit > soil depletion

“Renewable” energy + biochar from biomass > initial habitat loss

Ongoing residue removal >reduced humidity & micro-climate> further habitat loss > erosion of (drying and depleting)topsoil> >

>

Antagony is being mistaken for synergy?

1

2

3

UNFCCC: Emissions or Economics?

• Proposal to include biochar in CDM: selling ‘rights to

pollute’, includes bc from destructive ind. tree plant.

• A call for double credits by Carbon Gold not limited to residues. Cf Malaysia

• A call to lift limit on CER on carbon sink projects:

reinforces bau

• A call to reform Additionality: claim that seq-

uestration can be accurately measured (UNCCD),

urgency now an excuse for invalid accounting

Very limited NGO awareness, no conclusive field trials,unsubstantiated claims to UN bodies…

Plantar's eucalyptus plantations for charcoalas fuel for pig iron in Minais Gerais, Brazil:

Calls for Caution

• UNEP "Biochar is a new and poorly understood technology… The impacts of large-scale biochar production on biodiversity and long-term agricultural sustainability (e.g. nutrient depletion) are unknown".

• Royal Society “Biochar (CDR technique) the report identified significant doubts relating to the potential scope, effectiveness and safety of this technique and recommended that substantial research would be required before it could be considered for eligibility for UN carbon credits.” 

• Biochar Declaration

• Precautionary Principle

Gathering momentum…in absence of conclusions from field trials

Confirmed backing

• UNCCD secretariat submission to UNFCCC. Inclusion of biochar into draft 2009 agenda for “dialogue for the post 2012 climate regime”

• Backed by Micronesia

• 11 calls for "Concrete action for the inclusion of soil organic carbon restoration as a significant mitigation and adaptation tool to climate change"

By: Gambia, Ghana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Niger, Senegal, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. 

• Similar submission by Belize

Lobbyists

• International Biochar Initiative• US (Inc Renew the Earth)• Biochar Europe calling for inclusion• of biochar in EU ETS (Inc Shell, JP

Morgan and Centre for Rural Innovations)

• UK Biochar Research Centre• Australia: Turnbull’s opposition Liberal party • NZ: Forestry Ministry• Brazil: Embrapa• Biochar lobby forums in Canada and

Mongolia• Biochar Fund